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Virtual Battlefield provides trainers powerful teaching tool

  • Published
  • By Maj. Antonia Greene-Edwards
  • 174th Infantry Brigade Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Leaders of 174th Infantry Brigade and 72nd Field Artillery Brigade participated in a Virtual Staff Ride led by historians with Combat Studies Institute (CSI), held at Army Support Activity Dix, March 10-13.

"With the technology available to us today and the research and educational expertise of CSI, we are conducting our first Virtual Staff Ride exercise," remarked Army Col. John K. Lange, commander, 72nd Field Artillery Brigade.

A VSR is a powerful teaching tool, asserted Lange. It follows the same methodology as a field staff ride, but because restrictions preclude a trip to battlefield sites, the terrain is replicated in a virtual environment in the classroom.

"You're going to see things from the point of view of the Soldier fighting on the ground. You can't do that in Afghanistan today," explained Lange in his opening remarks to a combined audience of 174th Infantry Brigade and 72nd Field Artillery Brigade leaders.

When the Army began incorporated virtual battlefield training into their operational training it marked a significant leap forward allowing lessons and insight to be passed on in a more graphic context.

The VSR, hosted by the 72nd, was led by two CSI historian experts from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Dr. Curtis King and Florian Waitl. In order to provide each leader an opportunity to attend the training, the VSR spanned four days and focused on two modern-day battles -- one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan.

Lange explained to those in attendance that, "Today's case study is an example of a recent operation that we can break down and assess against our current doctrine, our understanding of leadership, unified land operations tactics, and apply it to our present-day mission as Observer, Controller/Trainer's."

The intent of the VSR is to utilize the 3-D computer generated terrain model of the battlefield and use it as a platform to discuss how OC/T's can better prepare units.

Each trainer was asked to keep in mind, 'How can I apply this to what I do if this technology is available to improve my training when partnering with those reserve component units at XCTC (eXportable Combat Training Capability) and FTXs (Field Training Exercises) and other training events?'

Virtual modeling tools improve our understanding beyond reading our forms of maneuver and principles of defense on paper, remarked Lange. It gives us something tangible to balance performance measures and key collective tasks and moreover, articulates those kind of lessons to our partners executing training exercises.

One such lesson that OC/T's must articulate is the importance of well-thought-out and complex task organization as an essential element of modern warfighting.

"This example proved that through careful planning and combined rehearsals and the use of LNOs (liaison officers) you can be successful," explained Army Maj. Jeremy Kaczor, executive officer, 1st Battalion, 314th Infantry Regiment. "And with VSR capabilities all that was demonstrated with a 360 degree view of the battlefield."

Additionally, the VSR gave leaders an opportunity to talk about the importance of team-building as a fundamental task. Team-building has always been at the center of combined arms training exercises and it remains a focal point in current warfighters.

Lange made a point to emphasize the importance of building task forces by highlighting the parallel planning, collaborative planning, integration of LNO's, rehearsals and all those elements that make a complex plan successful in execution continues to drive planning evaluation criteria at the OC/T level.

Similar to Lange's assessment of what training insights a VSR provides OC/T's, Army Col. Michael Wawrzyniak, commander, 174th Infantry Brigade agreed the VSR gave leaders a good example of successful synchronizing of warfighting functions.

"We always want to be assessing, as OC/T's, a unit's plan, in urban operations, looking at how well-coordinated units integrate intelligence, maneuver, and fighters. Furthermore, it's important to keep in mind, especially for decisive actions, that this is a different type of threat and we have to think about warfighters looking a lot different than this in terms of the opposition."

Keeping up-to-date with warfighter assessment capabilities is central to an OC/T's mission.

"It's not to criticize the unit on the ground, but as you carry this professional knowledge forward, when you're talking to the units that you're training, you always have to couch your feedback within the context of what our doctrinal expectations are for the performance of a collective task," stressed Lange.

Modern technology helps trainers enhance learning points during warfighter exercises. Employing precise modeling tools can improve mission preparation and leader development during training and After Action Reviews and drive home critical training for a continuous learning loop.

"This capability, this tool; as you think about communicating to those units you'll train, when you're an OC/T for First Army, you're going to be reinforced by a like-capability for your big AAR. You're going to have a 3-dimentional modeling capability to look at what the unit did, based on the sensors that the trainees wear," emphasized Lange.

By leveraging the same kind of virtual capability, whether utilizing Virtual Battle Space 2 (VBS2) or similar tactical training technology, the goal is more realistic training and OC/T's that can better communicate learning points.

"So, never lose sight that there are some very unique tools out there that can improve how you communicate to the units that you're training; the lessons and the points you want to make. And you can improve the way they can better see what they did to compare against what they were supposed to do, to derive the lessons that they need to take away for the next iteration," conclude Lange.

Under First Army's Operation Bold Shift initiative, 174th and 72nd brigades are merging to form a single 174th Combined Arms Training Brigade, improving its overall ability to provide training support across the broad spectrum of the Reserve Component force.